5,965 research outputs found

    Harnessing Markets for Water Quality

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    This issue of IMPACT is devoted to exploring and understanding the opportunities and challenges of harnessing markets to improve water quality. It looks at how markets could be implemented to address the growing concern of nonpoint source pollution as well as point sources. Recently, the EPA proposed a water quality trading proposal, which is summarized, reviewed, and critiqued

    A Racial Impact Analysis of HB 869/SB 274

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    Virginia is growing. Between 1990 and 2000, Virginia’s population rose by over 14% - the largest population growth experienced by the state in a single decade (Pollard, 2007). And the state continues to grow. It has been estimated that by 2030, Virginia’s total population may exceed 9.8 million people (Pollard, 2007). Along with population growth, land development has increased which in turn affects transportation, housing and job placement across the Commonwealth. In fact, in many parts of the state, development has outpaced population growth. According to Pollard, “If current patterns continue, Virginia will develop more land in the next 40 years than in the previous 400 years (p.8).” In an effort to curb sprawling development and decrease transportation expenditure, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 3202 in 2007. One major outcome of this multifaceted legislation was the introduction of mandatory Urban Development Areas (UDAs). The goal of UDAs was for localities to concentrate growth and development in order to reduce the cost of transportation and increase opportunities to build multi-use developments and expand affordable housing. In 2012, the General Assembly passed House Bill 869 and Senate Bill 274 which effectively make UDAs no longer mandatory but optional for all localities in the Commonwealth. In this paper, we analyze the racial impact and explore the political history of HB 869/SB 274 while addressing the larger issue of sprawl across the Commonwealth. Smart Growth policies are known to positively impact the environment but they also positively impact low-income and minority communities by increasing access to housing, transportation and ultimately jobs. The story behind Urban Development Areas in the Commonwealth is one of politics and regulation but issues as critical as housing, transportation and job access should be focused much more on the citizens of the Commonwealth. The friction created by the UDA policy between the localities and the state has the potential to spark a statewide conversation about land use and more importantly - the need for people-centered solutions to a growing problem

    Baseline Review of the Upper Tana, Kenya

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    http://greenwatercredits.net/sites/default/files/documents/isric_gwc_report8.pd

    Payment for Environmental Services: First Global Inventory of Schemes Provisioning Water for Cities

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    In the perspective of the World Water Day 2011 - "Water for Cities" (March 22, 2011), the Natural Resources Land and Water Division (NRL) of FAO has launched an inventory of environmental schemes provisioning water to cities. Up to date there have been several studies addressing the payment for watershed services around the world, conducted by various UN agencies, NGOs, etc. None of these studies so far has focused on the PES schemes providing the water supply for cities and industries, i.e. urban areas. In that sense this inventory is unique. The report offers a very useful inventory of identified PES - "water for cities" schemes around the world. The report can be used as basis for further pursuit of information and analysis of the most relevant cases at least, and possible replication of these cases, primarily in East Africa that has become an area of interest lately for the potential development of this market based scheme in order to address the water issues of the region

    Revision of Municipal Development Charges in Portugal: contributions to a new urban paradigm

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    This communication fits into the overall structural reform of the legislation that frames the territorialplanning and urban development currently taking place in Portugal. This reform aims at strengthening anew urban paradigm, providing the legal support to policy development and implementation in moreequitable, flexible, transparent and sustainable ways.Within this scope, this communication presents a proposal to reformulate the Portuguese MunicipalDevelopment Charges. This revision is crucial within the current socio-economic crisis that stronglyshapes municipal finances, and expresses the concern to provide municipalities with sustainable tools inorder to fight for the rights of their citizens. It is applied, as a case study, to the municipality of Bragança.This reassessment of municipal development charges fits the goals of the structural legal reformunderway, and is deeply important for territorial development processes and for populationsŽ well-beingas it warrants: (a) a greater resilience in the use of urban land, (b) the economic and financialsustainability of urban operations through a proper funding of development infrastructures; (c) highertransparency in the use of public funds; and (d) an increased fairness in the distribution of developmentcosts and benefits among the population

    The SWITCH transition manual

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    This study evaluated the potential for efficient treatment of domestic wastewater, while satisfying energy efficiency requirements. Various treatment systems and the influences of their physical configurations and operational characteristics on wastewater treatment and energy efficiency were initially considered and evaluated. Review of literature identified high rate anaerobic systems as viable low energy systems for domestic wastewater treatment, with reported high removal of influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and high net energy balance for the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR). Low energy recovery is reported in literature as a limitation of anaerobic domestic wastewater treatment, and anaerobic domestic wastewater treatment systems have failed to meet effluent discharge standards, and post-treatment using aerobic processes have been recommended in order to ensure high effluent quality. Therefore, the ABR was selected as a feasible option that can be developed as the first stage of an anaerobic-aerobic low energy domestic wastewater treatment system. The literature review also identified the net energy consumption per cubic metre (m3) of treated wastewater during the treatment process as an energy efficiency evaluation criterion.Energy efficiency for domestic wastewater treatment facilities should be achieved if efficient treatment performance can be sustained at ambient temperature, instead of the fixed mesophilic temperature that is commonly adopted in anaerobic treatment processes. To identify an energy efficient design of the ABR in terms of hydraulic retention time and operational temperature, the performance efficiencies of ABR bench models were monitored at ambient temperature and 37oC at hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 48, 36, 24, 12 and 6 hours, which corresponded to organic loading rates (OLR) of 1.25, 1.67, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 kg COD/m3 day. 88.43, 90.00, 84.03, 77.01 and 59.35% of the influent COD (mean = 2479.50 mg/L) were removed at 48, 36, 24, 12 and 6 hour HRTs, respectively, in the 37oC bench reactor, while 70.16, 70.36 and 74.99% of the influent COD were removed at 48, 36 and 24 hour HRTs, respectively, in the ambient temperature bench reactor. Steady state performance, in the form of stable pH values, was not observed in the ambient temperature reactor at 12 hours HRT before the end of the bench experiments. Retention of influent total solids was observed to correlate to hydraulic retention time, with increase retention of total solids corresponding to increase in hydraulic retention time. Furthermore, observed total solids retention in the ambient temperature reactor were less than the total solids retention in the 37oC reactor.Anaerobic reduction of domestic wastewater sludge and the corresponding methane production were also evaluated using bio-chemical methane potential (BMP) batch assays at ambient temperature and compared to a fixed mesophilic temperature of 37oC. Low reduction of volatile solids was observed in the BMP assays, with 40% at ambient temperature compared to 56% at 37oC for primary sludge, and 22% at ambient temperature compared to 38% at 37oC for secondary sludge. Critical limitations of the anaerobic stage at ambient temperature were determined to be the biological reduction and conversion of the organic contaminants to soluble COD and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Also, achieving and maintaining steady state performance required a longer time period at ambient temperature than at 37oC, potentially due to the slow growth of the anaerobic microorganisms at ambient temperature. These limitations indicate the need for long (≥ 24 hours) retention periods for efficient operation at ambient temperature. The ABR bench models were evaluated for energy efficiency with the identified energy efficiency criteria, and the operational condition with the highest energy efficiency was determined to be 12 hours HRT at 37oC. Finally, design criteria for the anaerobic stage of the anaerobic-aerobic system were proproposed, along with a process model as a preliminary step for future process research

    Merging storm water management with stream rehabilitation: Greensboro’s Lake Daniel pilot project

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    In spite of progress controlling discharges of industrial pollutants from discrete points, many urban drainage basins continue to suffer from heavy loads of sediment and pollutants in the form of storm water runoff from lawns, streets, driveways, parking lots, and other dispersed sources (Arnold et al., 1993; Riley, 1992; Ferguson 1991; Horak, 1988). Altered geomorphic and soil conditions, leaking or broken sewer lines, and structural responses to flooding also contribute to the degraded natural condition of many urban streams. City governments and local environmental groups are attempting to restore natural vitality to such streams and wetlands through cooperative, integrated efforts to reduce storm water borne pollution (DeWitt, 1994). Stream rehabilitation efforts can be merged with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Under authority of the Water Quality Act of 1987 NPDES requires local governments to devise plans for -reducing sediment and pollutants carried by storm water runoff directly to streams or water treatment plants. State and local governments are also providing grants to fund community-based stream restoration projects that serve multiple goals, including storm water management (Riley, 1992). Greensboro, North Carolina, exemplifies the process of meeting the NPDES requirements to plan for storm water management with local public involvement. This article reviews the parallel histories of stream greenway rehabilitation and storm water management and describes the ongoing process of merging the two goals in a Southern Piedmont context

    Lessons Learned and Prospects for Reform

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    Property Tax in Asia: Policy and Practice. Chapter 3 - Lessons Learned and Prospects for Refor

    Strategic Management in Ontario Regional Government: Evaluating the Factors for Successful Policy Implementation for Intensification and Infrastructure Investment

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    In this study, I identify the strategic management factors for successful policy implementation for intensification and infrastructure investment in regional governments. These factors include organizational capacities, administrative leadership within government, and administrative governance. To examine these themes, I employed a qualitative case study analysis to evaluate how certain strategic management factors and processes influence regional government decisions and outcomes related to the prioritization of water and sewer infrastructure investment in intensification areas to comply with the provincial 2006 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The case study uses strategic management theory to help to analyze and explain observed data researched from three regional municipalities: Halton, Peel and York in Ontario, Canada, by evaluating five best management practices recommended by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the National Research Council. My results suggest that there are certain best management practices that support growth management policy and implementation. These results imply that strategic planning, information management, public support and acceptance, innovation for continuous improvement, and prioritization models can be leveraged by regional municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe to prioritize water and sewer infrastructure to meet new Growth Plan targets
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